The very real side effects of Chinese counterfeit cosmetics

by Danny Kichi on Wed, Nov 11, 2015

00

Sometimes, paying full price for a product just because of the name behind it can be a complete waste of money, especially if there are no obvious differences between the brand name and knockoff items. But other times, as in the case of cosmetics, it can be foolish to buy a fake just to save a few dollars because the consequences of applying phony makeup to your skin can lead to some very serious problems you won't want to face.

Most of our necessities such as clothing, electronics, and almost everything in between have been manufactured in China for quite some time. For example, 60% of all the world's shoes and 70% of all mobile phones are made in China. In these cases, the billions of people across the globe who use them on a daily basis are satisfied with their utility and reasonable pricing. But besides all the real and legitimate products coming out of China, some are counterfeits,like fake designer bags or iPhones, which other than taking millions in profit away from the big brands they're copying, don't do direct harm to the consumers themselves.

But according to a warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, some fake products from China are actually very dangerous and should not be purchased at all. Through the internet, many women from around the world buy knockoff beauty products from China because of how cheap they are compared to the ones made by major brands such as MAC, Benefit, and Urban Decay. Whether it's mascara, lipstick, blush, or another skincare product, a recent study of counterfeit Chinese beauty products found them to contain mercury, lead, arsenic, cyanide, human urine, and even rat droppings. These products have reportedly caused very serious side effects and skin allergies, such as painful rashes and burns. In some cases, women had their faces disfigured, experienced an increase in blood pressure, and even became infertile.

If that's not enough to make a woman stop buying fake Chinese beauty products, I have no idea what will.